Tag: Acentos Bronx Poetry Showcase

Even the most political poem is an act of faith. Because you have no way of quantifying its impact on the world. But the fact is we write these poems and put them into the environment, into the atmosphere and we have no idea where they’re going to land. We have no idea who’s going to breathe them in. We have no idea what affect it’s gonna have on an individual life unless that person materializes and says, “Poetry saved my life.”
-Martín Espada

Bill Moyer’s interview with Martin Espada is up and running. Mad props to Mr. Moyers for shining such a spotlight on poetry: how it develops from the master poet, to the teaching poet, to the student poet and its effect on audience.

While Espada’s work and words are the high definition of inspiration, I also want to talk about young poeta Haydil Henriquez and her desire to make poetry such a part of her life. A life that is driven by a practical family brought to this country for practical reasons, envisioning a practical life for their daughter and in the eyes of this family poetry is not a practical thing.

I’ve had this conversation with a lot of writers who come from an immigrant background and few have ever been encouraged to pursue the art of writing as a practical part of their life. Yes, they have been told that poetry is a fine hobby and that the novel they are chipping away at is a fine use of spare time but unless it equals real dollars & cents then it’s equal in value to a good night out drinkin or a quick pick up game of basketball.

I’d be very interested to read Haydil’s poem ‘In Papi’s Shoes’ because I imagine it to be her strategy to not only get her voice in the world but to also demonstrate to her family the practical use of poetry: as a means to acknowledge the sacrifice of the previous generation and let them know this generation will not squander what they have worked so hard for.

Also good to see Rich, Aracelis and the Bruckner Bar & Grill on the Moyers Journal! (For more on Acentos, check out Rich’s interview at labloga.)

Considering that I have not actually hosted an Acentos since Eliel & Raj’s November 8th show, I was quite calm. Yes, there have a few shows I have hosted in between but both those shows (John Murillo & Paolo Javier’s features) had an embarrassingly low turn out, prompting me to move them to main dining area of the Bruckner.

Let’s also throw in the mix that this is my last regular hosting duties and I was surprisingly calm, hosting in full jackass mode and most of my silliness actually making sense. Or maybe everybody was just trying to make it easy for me. Uhhhm, my ego says to go with the first choice.

A beautiful Open Mic with Raj, Maria, Luis, Matt and Rich as the usual suspects and an old face, Frankie Michelle, returning as well as Carlos Andres Gomez and Other Universes—Steven Sapp & Mildred Ruiz. Special love goes out to Mildred & Steven since they have been reppin’ the Bx since way before I came on this scene and have been there for a couple of my poetic seminal moments.

Didja know that Universes was the first feature ever at synonymUS? Know ya now.
And didja know that Mildred & Steven came out to my first EVER hosting gig at the Co-Op City Barnes & Nobles? Know ya now.

On to the main event, Eliane was simply brilliant. Many thanks to her for not only rocking out but also helping us realize the possibilities of this new theater space at the Bruckner. The next show is going to be amazing.

And I am going to lovingly enjoy it from one of the booths, chilling with a soda and ready to listen.

Tuesday, March 14th @ 7:00pm
ACENTOS featuring singer, guitar player and composer ELIANE
plus The Uptown’s Best Open Mic

Anniversary month is in full effect with guitarist and vocalist Eliane and her kickass band! They are guaranteed to catch your immediate attention with her groovy Brazilian style originals. Come down to the Bruckner Bar & Grill’s new theater space, bring a poem to the Open Mic, chill to the sounds of Eliane & partake of the Boogie Down’s finest poetic fiesta!

Coming from Manhattan: Exit by the last car on the 6. Take the exit to your left, go up the stairs to your right to exit at Lincoln Avenue. Walk down Lincoln about 5 blocks to Bruckner Blvd, turn right on Bruckner past the bike shop, the Bruckner Bar & Grill is on the corner. For more directions, please call 718.665.2001 or click here for an e-map

ACENTOS BRONX POETRY SHOWCASE CELEBRATES THREE YEARS OF POETIC EXCELLENCE

NEW YORK CITY – The organizers of the Acentos Bronx Poetry Showcase today announced the featured performers for their anniversary month of March, including singer-songwriter Eliane on March 14, and the acoustic group Trío Con Cuatro rounding out a showcase of poets from the past three years to celebrates the series’ third anniversary on March 28. The series takes place every second and fourth Tuesday at the Bruckner Bar and Grill, located at One Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx.

On March 14, Acentos will reach into the worlds of Brazilian and Latin-style guitar to bring singer-songwriter Eliane to the Bruckner. She has previously toured Europe and has appeared at such popular NYC venues as Joe’s Pub and the Blue Note. The popular Acentos open mic begins with a signup at 7 p.m.

Then on March 28 at 7 p.m. sharp, the Acentos 3rd Anniversary Show will feature a performance by Trío Con Cuatro, an acoustic group whose music is a fusion of new sounds and the traditional folk rhythms of llanero, jazz, blues, and calypso. In addition to the open mic, there will be a special set of showcase performances consisting of past features from the acclaimed series’ three-year run. More names are forthcoming, but already set to perform are HBO Def Poet Rachel McKibbens, Mahina Movement, and Carlos Andrés Gómez. In the DJ booth for the evening will be Acentos’ own DJ Geko Jones.

In the past weeks, the ownership of the Bruckner Bar & Grill has undertaken an impressive expansion into the adjacent building, adding a state-of-the-art performance space to the existing lounge areas. In addition to the drastically improved acoustics and audience capacity, the new space boasts four front and rear JBL speakers; a full PA system and DJ booth; and a brand new stage, spotlight, and house lighting scheme. With this exciting new setup, the organizers are set to launch their fourth year with a stellar March lineup.

For three years, Acentos has stood at the vanguard of the burgeoning artistic scene in the South Bronx, providing a renewed spotlight for Latino/Latina poetry in a venue that fosters an encouraging atmosphere for writers of diverse backgrounds and experience. Based in the Bruckner Bar & Grill (Corner of Third Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard), a part the ethnically rich Mott Haven section of the Bronx, Acentos showcases nationally recognized poets alongside emerging voices in a setting that stimulates open dialogue and an increased sense of community.

Lidia Torres is the author of “A Weakness for Boleros.” A Puerto Rican poet born in New York City, Ms. Torres is a graduate of Hunter College and New York University and a New York Foundation for the Arts poetry fellow. She lives in New York where she is currently working on a translation project.

Coming from Manhattan: Exit by the last car on the 6. Take the exit to your left, go up the stairs to your right to exit at Lincoln Avenue. Walk down Lincoln to Bruckner Blvd, turn right on Bruckner past the bike shop. The Bruckner Bar & Grill is on the corner. For more directions, please call 718.665.2001

Alright, folks! They’ve whooped some metaphorical booty in the last few months, and now it’s time to cheer on the eight poets who will compete in the louderCHAMP Slam: Roger Bonair-Agard, Fish Vargas, Ove, Danny, Marc Marcel, Darian, Rachel McKibbens and Rives will duke it out in four rounds of poetical mayhem!

Who will represent louderARTS at the Individual World Poetry Slam in Charlotte, North Carolina? Find our for yourself this Monday! And bring some towels, ’cause it’s gonna be a bloodbath!

And make sure you get there early to secure a seat for our first featured poet of 2006, Jai Chakrabarti! Jai’s work leaps from Calcutta to Brooklyn to the theory of Pi as the ultimate erotic number, leaning on rhythm and sound until transcendent algorithms of poem break free.

Be there, and bring a poem of your own to share on the year’s first open mic!

2005 was an amazing year for us at The louderARTS Project. We saw synonymUS kick into full gear with a year-long run at the Nuyorican Poets’ Café, Acentos come into its own with a new space and marvelous features, a series of great writing and performance workshops through our Breathing Poetry Branch, and louderMONDAYS reach new heights with features we’d never imagined could grace our humble stage.

synonymUS continues to spread its wings, incorporating music, poetry, movement, and visual art with multi-disciplinary features and showcased performers. With collaborations forged both spontaneously onstage at the Nuyo and through pre-show jam sessions, synonymUS is building a community of multi-talented artists ready to rock any audience.

We saw our Bronx-based series, Acentos, blossom as it moved to the inviting Bruckner Bar and Grill and filled an amazing summer/fall season with such poetry stars as Flaco Navaja, Rigoberto González, Edwin Torres, and the incomparable Martín Espada. This poetry community is sustained in no small part by the energy of curators like the team at Acentos, who extend themselves to the writers and audiences at the
series. The growth and success that comes from that kind of work is evident at every reading they host.

For the louderMONDAYS crew (Marty, Roger and me,) it was a full year as we pushed ourselves to see what we could accomplish with each reading and each format. We
wound up the Q2 series which now goes on tour with Cheryl Boyce Taylor and will be succeeded by the OUTloud series in 06. We solidified a partnership with Cave Canem for the GrooveNation Series which will see a bright new range of writers in 2006. We introduced the brand-new Pinion format which will bring to our stage exceptional and accomplished writers in the company of poets they’ve mentored or by whom they’ve been influenced.

All in all, it was an excellent year. We’ve hit a point where we wish there were more weeks in the year, or at least more hours in a Monday!

At the start of 2005, as we try to do every so often, we looked to our own for inspiration, with exceptional and deeply moving features from Marty McConnell and Oscar Bermeo (look out for 06’s louderEDGE with Rich Villar!) and then moved into spring with readings by BJ Ward, Ross Gay, Jason Schneiderman, Patrick Rosal and Jai Chakrabarti. Laura Moran, Hal Sirowitz, Raina Leon, Ishle Park, Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Ragan Fox took us through the Summer season.

By the time we hit fall, we were exhausted and, we thought, ready for a more low-key season — but instead we got rising stars Aaron Smith and Joseph Legaspi (curator of that other brilliant Monday night series, Kundiman), the truly legendary Amiri & Amina Baraka, long-time favorites Maya Azucena, Derrick Brown, rock star (no really!) John Condron, and national slam stars Geoff Trenchard and Regie Gibson.

That should be enough, but before we could catch our breath and start planning our holiday break, we suffered double strokes of luck and love.

After seven years as part of the curating team for Monday nights, it’s still almost impossible for me to imagine approaching certain poets, and incredible to imagine that they’ll even consider saying yes to us, the little reading-series-that-can. So when Aaron Smith suggested that I contact Jan Beatty, and when Oscar calmly approached Mark Doty at the Sarah Lawrence Poetry Festival, I never imagined that either or both of them would say yes, let alone read within a week of each other.

Jan Beatty’s reading was a wonder, full of her breath-stealing wit and deeply touching poems, read in her soft, precise voice. You could hear a pin drop in the room while she was on stage, and the reaction to her work belied any notion that so-called “slam style” performance is needed to emotionally engage and amaze an audience in a bar. Her poems spoke eloquently for themselves and drew us all in with each stanza.

When I asked Mark Doty if he would feature in the initial reading of our new format, Pinion, and also invite four writers whose work he’d mentored, I never thought I’d end up introducing Joel Whitney, Brenda Shaughnessy, Tina Chang and Kathy Graber all on the same night. That’s a curator’s dream come true and somehow, that’s how it worked out. Each of the poets impressed us with the risks they took both on stage and in their writing and thrilled us with their gracious and individual poetic style. This was a night of distinctive writing and flawless craft with several of the features, including Mark, presenting fabulous “new shit” to the utter glee of our audience. I honestly never thought I’d sit in Bar 13 and hear our crowd doing the “New Shit!” holler back to Mark Doty!

We closed the year with a wild run of excellent writers, but (almost) more importantly, poets of such deep personal grace and generosity that they hung out with us on a Monday night and gave their all with readings of character, substance and intensity.

They’ve left us even more madly in love with poetry than we were before.

Each of the poets who joined us in 2005 left their mark on our souls and in our minds. They sent us home eager to write and desperate to read one more poem before bed. They made Tuesday morning a thing of wonder for us, sitting on the trains and in our taxis, standing on line at the coffee shop or squashed in the back of the elevator, reading their poems or just murmuring their words out loud.

In a minute, I’m going to fill you in on our January plans and a few highlights of the coming season. But here’s a little new-year teaser for you: these are the initials of a just a few famous poetry folks we’re pursuing for 2006. MH, JL, SS, AR… oh, the surprise. The poetic tension!

Meanwhile, as we continue our metaphorical stalking of the women and men who craft the poems that keeps us going, we’ve locked in quite a season.

Monday, January 9 — according to slammaster Rachel McKibbens, this is what’s on deck:

Alright, folks! They’ve whooped some metaphorical booty in the last few months, and now it’s time to cheer on the eight poets who will compete in the louderCHAMP Slam! Don’t miss Roger Bonair-Agard, Fish Vargas, Ove, Danny, Marc Marcel, Darian, Rachel McKibbens and Rives as they duke it out in four rounds of poetical mayhem! Who will represent louderARTS at the Individual World Poetry Slam in Charlotte, North Carolina? Find our for yourself next Monday! And bring some towels, ’cause it’s gonna be a bloodbath!

And bring your own new-year new-poems to share on the OPEN MIC!

After this you have a mere FIVE SLAMS LEFT to qualify for the semi-final slams in April and from there for the slam finals in May. Word on the street is that the organizers of this year’s National Poetry Slam in Austin are threatening to host the best nationals yet, so gather those poems and get those points – remember that you have to slam at least twice in order to qualify!

January 16: It’s the return of GrooveNation, with Detroit’s own poet/singer/songwriter/man of mystery BLAIR, as well as Seattle’s own CHRISTA BELL. Bring a poem by a writer of the African Diaspora to share along with your own on the OPEN MIC!

January 23: Here it is, your first chance to SLAM in 2006! Get there early to grab a spot as folks start to get frantic for those points. Plus get a good seat for 2005 louderARTS National Poetry Slam team member Mahogany Browne! And of course, the OPEN MIC list fills up faster than fast.

January 30: Walking not the line but the louderEDGE is the inventive and ever surprising RICH VILLAR, sharing all new or envelope-destroying work… bring your freshest poems to share on the OPEN MIC and be prepared for a few surprises.

We say it a lot, but it’s still true: we wouldn’t be anywhere without our audience. What you bring to the open mic, to the slams, and to the room’s incredible energy is a crucial part of what allows us to attract these amazing features – so thank you. And, see you Monday!